One frustration of mine is tracking packages. I swear, sometimes I'm like a kid in the backseat saying are we there yet? It doesn't matter if I'm the sender or the receiver; I just want to know the package is in transit and will arrive shortly. Most shippers provide online tracking, but I prefer a simpler solution that works for all carriers.

Tracking packages isn't difficult and some sites are better than others. Some force you to go through extra steps such as first selecting a country. All this left me looking for an easier way.

Ive also never had success with Googles Search by Number feature. And while UPS has a useful tracking feature called Track by Email , I'm not always using them.

The biggest issue arises when I use different carriers or have many packages. I don't want to bookmark each carrier or visit several sites. The solution I found is an all inclusive site with an easy to remember name called PackTrack.

The service started in 1999 and tracked 6 shippers. Now, the service tracks 59 shippers and allows you to create an account. The account information is minimal as they need a user name and password.

Once you create an account you can add or remove buttons for carriers. The customization also allows you to save tracking numbers so you don't have to re-key the information. This is a big help for me since I frequently transpose digits. Its also nice to have a consolidated tracking list if you happen to have multiple packages in transit with different carriers.

The interface is simple in design which I prefer. The only items needed are the tracking number and carrier. The default carriers are UPS, FedEx and DHL. If you're using another carrier, you can select them from a drop-down list.

For my needs, I seldom use DHL so I changed the button to USPS which I frequently use. I can also see a list of outstanding packages when I visit the site.

Another useful feature is the Carriers link at the top of the page. This gives you a table of company names, URLs and phone numbers.

If you're fed up using many sites to track packages, Id give this one a try. The design is clear and it works with just about any carrier.

Referenced Resources

PackTrack: http://www.packtrack.com
Google Number Search: http://www.google.com/help/features.html#number
UPS Track by Email: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/tracking/email/index.html